Pipili Applique Crafts Market

Pipili Applique Crafts Market is a vibrant street market in Pipili town, Puri district, Odisha, located on National Highway 316 between Bhubaneswar and Puri. Renowned for its colorful applique work known locally as Chandua, the market features rows of shops selling handmade canopies, umbrellas, bags, wall hangings and garments. The craft is traditionally linked to the Jagannath Temple in Puri and holds Geographical Indication status, making the market a key handicraft destination.

Visitors can expect a long stretch of roadside shops on both sides of NH 316 displaying brightly colored applique products including lampshades, umbrellas, wall hangings, cushion covers, bags, and garments. Shops are densely packed with hanging canopies and patchwork textiles. Artisans can often be seen stitching in or near shops. The setting is a busy highway market with pedestrian activity, bargaining, and opportunities to observe craft techniques and purchase directly from sellers.

Pipili applique craft, known as Chandua, is traditionally traced to the 12th century and patronage of the Gajapati kings of Puri. The craft was historically used to make canopies, umbrellas and decorative cloth for the annual Ratha Yatra and rituals of the Jagannath Temple in Puri, with artisan families continuing the tradition for generations.

The market is the main commercial hub for the Pipili applique tradition, which has Geographical Indication (GI) status. It sustains the Darji artisan community and showcases Odisha's textile heritage through vibrant patchwork and embroidery techniques passed down through families, representing an important living craft culture of the region.